ABSTRACT
DURING THE 1980s AND 1990s, popular and professional historians of baseball gave increased attention to the black experience in the national pastime. They have examined the game's relationship to white society, analyzed the trials and triumphs of black ballplayers, and extolled the competency of black ballplayers as they confronted racist America. Their research has also examined the connection between black baseball and the black community, emphasizing in particular how the game served as a unifying element to communities in transition and how it helped bridge class distinctions. 1
